The present invention relates generally to enhancing the safety and self-administration of injectable medication for the visually impaired, and more particularly, to syringes and other injection devices including one or more of a tactile and audible indicator for ensuring dosage accuracy.
According to the American Diabetes Association, data from 2011 shows the prevalence of Diabetes in the U.S. at 8.3% of the population, affecting approximately 25.8 million children and adults. The total cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 was estimated to be 245 billion, with 176 billion attributable to direct costs and 69 billion attributable to reduced productivity. Diabetes is not only a growing concern in the U.S., but an emerging threat worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 347 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. In 2004, it was estimated that 3.4 million people died from diabetes-related illness. The World Health Organization predicts that diabetes will become the seventh leading cause of death by the year 2030.
A common complication associated with diabetes is vision impairment. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults age 20-74. From 2005-2008, it was estimated that 4.2 million diabetics over the age of 40 suffered some degree of diabetic retinopathy, and of these, almost 700 thousand suffered from advanced diabetic retinopathy leading to severe vision loss.
Vision impairment and loss are of particular concern for insulin-dependent diabetics that require daily injections. The loss or worsening of vision presents a significant challenge in self-administering injections, particularly in terms of dosage accuracy. While devices have been developed to aid the visually impaired in self-administering injections, these conventional devices are either prohibitively expensive or difficult to use. Accordingly, the majority of insulin-dependent diabetics rely on others to administer their daily injections.